Why do some FW species require salt?

C

clawlan

Don't harass the sea turtles!
Dec 29, 2006
880
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16
Atlanta, GA
I noticed at the LFS, many species say that they need aquarium salt. What is this and why do they need it? (I've also heard that it is a bad idea to add salt even tohugh it says you should).
 
rift lake cichlids do better with special salts in their water that mimic those found in the lakes they are native to, but not your conventional salt by any means.

"aquarium" salt should only be used to treat certian diseases and to help reduce nitrite toxicity.
 
many species say that they need aquarium salt
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brackish water fish require some level of marine salt in their tanks as this mimics their native environment. "freshwater" fish however, do NOT need salt in their tank and in fact, it's a bad idea.
 
clawlan said:
I noticed at the LFS, many species say that they need aquarium salt. What is this and why do they need it? (I've also heard that it is a bad idea to add salt even tohugh it says you should).
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you probably got that info from the little care cards at Petsmart, right? well, dont believe them no fish requires aqarium salt. if a fish is brackish, it needs marine salt.
 
some LFS's tell you that so they can sell aquarium salt.
they are in the biz to sell stuff..like aloe in the water conditioners..
 
You will see the "aquarium salt" notations on mollies, platys, swordtails, etc. because in their native habitat the water is slightly to moderately salty (brackish). I have found that those fish, while able to survive in freshwater, do better over the long run in brackish water. That being said, when purchasing this fish from the petco's and petsmarts of the world, taking from their current freshwater to brackish should only be done over no faster that 3-4 days (a week would be better). I set up my quarantine tank, get them acclimated, and then start slowly doing water changes (10-15%) with marine salt water at 1.010 SG. Do that twice per day and monitor the SG of the tank. Soon you will be at 1.008 to 1.010 SG and your fish will be happier for it.

This does of course preclude you from having these fish in a "community" tank. Its a great excuse to have more than one tank! :dance:
 
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